<p>Other than the Carnegie Mellons, etc, do strictly art colleges require you submit your high school transcript, GPA and SAT results? I'm curious about all of them (esp the ones that don't), but specifically - RISD, SCAD, Ringling, MICA, CCA...Ifso, how heavily are they weighed? My daughter has frighteningly low PSATs this year (126) and equally horrifying grades - and not for lack of trying - she just doesnt have a left brain cell to speak of, and this is with a gifted iq - it just went all over to the right side... I'm wondering how much energy she needs to spend torturing herself...</p>
<p>MICA's "safe minimum" GPA/SAT is about 2.9 uw & 1800 SAT. They love their academics. But if your daughter is talented enough they will weigh her application with respect to her talent.</p>
<p>I've heard RISD wants in the 3.3 range or higher. I'm sure there are schools that place less weight than that on scores/gpa, etc. Check the websites of the schools and see if anything is listed. You can also check the Princeton Review site. They list art schools and usually give an SAT range.</p>
<p>SCAD is said to admit less-than-stellar GPA students with a good portfolio. They do give very nice scholarships based on SAT/ACT plus GPA etc., though.</p>
<p>Bummer - I was hoping they didn't look at that stuff at all. I guess it's past time to think about SAT prep courses and getting her some tutoring. At least her portfolio should be excellent - it's photography and graphic design, and she's already getting somewhat noticed. Will be attending the local NPD for more feedback in January. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info and if anyone out there knows an art school that only looks at portfolios, please clue me in - I didnt get much info from Princeton Review. I'm going to check Amazon to see if there's an admissions guide geared to art kids - there must be.</p>
<p>They all ask for transcripts so they will see the GPA in any case. Many do put a lot of weight on the portfolio, but they usually have some academic minimum (which varies frmo school to school). SCAD gives some scholarships soley based on portfolio, some soley based on academics/SATs and some that are combos. My daughter had very mediocre SATs (all sections in the 500s) and was offered a nice combined honors scholarship from SCAD, and got into all schools she applied, both art only and general universities (Syracuse, etc.). Her grades and recs were good, but she came from a small progressive high school that did not rank and did not offer AP classes.</p>
<p>You can do college searches on collegeboard.com. It shows the middle 50% range for SAT and ACT scores for those admitted, and also the raneg of GPAs.</p>
<p>Princeton Review site has quite a bit of info!</p>
<p>RISD:</p>
<p>SAT - Critical Reading Middle 50%: 530-660
SAT - Math Middle 50%: 550-670
TPR Projected Range SAT Writing: 590-690
Average High School GPA: 3.30
Students in top 10% of HS class: 28%
Students in top 50% of HS class: 91% </p>
<p>SCAD</p>
<p>SAT - Critical Reading Middle 50%: 480-600
SAT - Math Middle 50%: 470-580
TPR Projected Range SAT Writing: 550-650
ACT Composite Midldle 50%: 20-26 </p>
<p>MICA</p>
<p>SAT - Critical Reading Middle 50%: 540-660
SAT - Math Middle 50%: 510-630
TPR Projected Range SAT Writing: 600-690
Average High School GPA: 3.46
Students in top 10% of HS class: 35%
Students in top 50% of HS class: 86% </p>
<p>Ringling:</p>
<p>Average High School GPA: 3.07</p>
<p>Let's be clear. Most of the better art programs do require a decent gpa and SATs. An Admission's officer at RISD told me that they recalculate their GPA to include ONLY Math, science, english, language and social studies/history in computing the GPA. Everything else is ignored. If you don't have a recomputed 3.3, REGARDLESS OF RIGOR OF THE COURSES, you won't generally get in. In fact, they told me that more people get rejected due to academic requirements than for having a poor portfolio. </p>
<p>However, I was also told that if the portfolio is really a stand out, which is tough to accomplish at a place like RISD, they will shave the academic requirement a bit.</p>
<p>For most stand alone art schools, other than MICA and RISD, they aren't as tough about the GPA and SAT. In fact, a good portfolio at these other schools can trump everything. </p>
<p>That said, having a very decent GPA and SATs will get you more scholarship money. </p>
<p>Bottom line: try to do well in high school and try to have a decent SAT ( at least 1200 for M and CR). It certainly can only help you and may get you some money.</p>
<p>Heron - Thanks for getting all that - I obviously didn't know where to look. I just checked Ringling's website, and I'm thinking that that's the school (not to mention that it's just a 3 hour drive from home). They require a 2.0 (!) GPA and SATs are NOT required, but suggested for "academic counseling". Now does anyone know how Ringling's reputation stacks up? </p>
<p>Taxman - good advice re trying to do well in high school if you want scholarships. I'll certainly keep on her and get her SAT prep help and tutoring - although I dont know where to start - at the moment she has Fs in 5 academic subjects, with an incongrouous B+ in Honors World (and of course A+s in photography and graphic design). In fact, I think I already know where I'm starting - the psychologist's office in order to get her evaluated for every last learning disability.</p>
<p>Maybe check out SAIC? They seem to have extremely high admission rates (>80%)</p>
<p>MattsMom- Ringling doesn't have as good of a reputation as places like MICA, Art Center, RISD, etc. But it's no "Art Institute of (fill in your city here)" either. So considering the GPA issue, it does sound like a good option.</p>
<p>okay - just did some quick checking on collegeboard.com (thanks Handemom), and the following schools accept over 70% (most around 80%), with ones who reported having mid level SATs that began in the very anemic low 400s (woohoo!) and GPAs that run the gamut:</p>
<p>Ringling
SAIC
Savannah College of Art & Design
Corcoran
California College of the Arts
Art Center College of Design
Academy of Art University (100% acceptance) - I sense a problem</p>
<p>So, my question to you fine folks is which are the stand-out schools here and how would you rank them in order of where you would invest oodles of money so that your child might someday be gainfully employed in the field of her choice?</p>
<p>Another option is to spend a year at a local community college then try to transfer to a better art college.</p>
<p>ANother school you can add to your list is the Art Institure of Boston at Lesley U. It's not in the same category "art institute of ..." that larationalist is referring to. It's a decent art school, not as selective as some and in a great city.</p>
<p>MattsMomFL, </p>
<p>If you go onto the college search section of the Princeton Review website (they make you register, but it's really simple, and free). Then you enter your college into the search bar, select it from menu. Click on "statistics" and a small menu will drop down. Click on "admissions" and you will get a screen with the kind of info I posted above. </p>
<p>A couple of thoughts:</p>
<p>SAIC does have a high acceptance rate, but it has one of the best graduate art schools in the country. (Some say better than Yale, some say second to Yale.) And supposedly undergrads and grad students sometimes mix in classes. Chicago is said to be a fabulous city and SAIC is in a very prime part of it. I also hear that the dorms are amazing.</p>
<p>Handemom has an interesting idea in Lesley. I just looked and PR doesn't have any info on their average gpa, etc. It's about a half mile from Harvard Square, if that, and they have a lot of interesting programs.</p>
<p>Also, what about SMFA or Montserrat?</p>
<p>Good luck -- I'm sure you will find something.</p>
<p>Frankly, I don't think things would improve at a community college - she's already in (beside the Honors World) basic classes and doing lousy - I think CC would just destroy whatever ego is still remaining - it's not like she's a slacker and just needs some time to prove herself. </p>
<p>Montserrat is fabulous from a tuition/financial aid point of view - their ratio of scholarships to loans is the best with this level of acceptance - over 80%. Their curriculum however is a little heavy in the core requirements and a bit too basic in the photog ones. By the time she graduates from high school she will have had 8 semesters in photography and another 8 in graphic design. The photog classes at Ringling actually look far more intriguing, however they have an abysmal 80%loan/job share of financial aid - close to the worst. </p>
<p>SMFA and Lesley look good - I havent had time yet to delve into their curriculums. </p>
<p>I am definitely finding that doing the research is essential to making the right decision.</p>
<p>And Heron, thanks for the step by step assistance on college board -I needed it!</p>
<p>mattsmom,</p>
<p>i would seriously consider art center for your child, businessweek just ranked it as the second best desgin school in the WORLD. And although the admittance rate is over 70% keep in mind the average freshman age is 23. Art center requires your daughter to declare their major on the application and does not have a foundation year, just four years of the persons chosen major. from what i've seen and through my research its the best graphic design program around. </p>
<p>Art</a> Center College of Design : Leading by Design</p>
<p>or the graphic design departments own website</p>
<p>Thanks, slang - it looks like a terrific program.</p>
<p>However, not only is the average freshman age 23, but there is no onsite housing provided - perhaps a reaon why the avg age is high. She definitely wants a dorm experience - at least in the beginning.</p>
<p>mattsmom,</p>
<p>I work at a high school in California. A number of my students have attended California College of the Arts. They have really liked the program. It is definitely worth checking out. They place a heavy emphasis on the portfolio and there are essential guidelines to follow when submitting the portfolio.</p>
<p>I have found that many of my students who are more artistic have found a home and friend there. </p>
<p>Art Center College of Design has a great program, but I usually recommend students transfer after some junior college. I have found that the right junior college can actually work for a student who was not successful in high school.</p>
<p>mattsmom,</p>
<p>One other school worth mentioning is Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. I have a student in her 2nd year there now and it has been a good fit for her.</p>
<p>Cornish does not have any housing for students, although I can imagine that there are relatively nearby apartment buildings that have a high student population.</p>